BY THE COMMISSION.

xxxxx A public hearing was held before Examiner Geary at San Francisco January 19, 1927, and the application having been duly submitted is now ready for our opinion and order.

xxxxx Applicants are engaged in the business of transporting passengers for compensation over the highways of the state, the California Transit between Los Angeles and San Francisco-Sacramento via the San Joaquin Valley through Fresno, Merced and Stockton and Carl Inn; the Pickwick Stages System between Yuma, Arizona, and El Centre on the one hand and thence via Los Angeles and the Coast Route to San Francisco and points in northern California on the other, and also between Gilroy and Los Banos; the W. R. Miles Stage Lines between Fresno and Huntington Lake: Boyd & Mattly Stage Company between Taft and Bakersfield: Kern County Transportation Corporation between Taft and Bakersfield and Motor Transit Company between practically all points in Los Angeles County. The five last named lines make direct connections with the California Transit Company and in conjunction with that line now maintain joint fares through Fresno to Merced, Stockton, San Francisco and the intermediate points, as published in Joint Passenger Tariff C. R. C. No. 8, issued by F. J. Coulter, agent. The Yosemite Park and Curry Company operates between points in the Yosemite Valley on the one hand and on the other Fresno, Merced and Carl Inn, and connects with California Transit Company at these three points.

xxxxx In Case No: 2212, Decision No. 17274, dated August 26, 1926. the Commission found that public convenience and necessity required through routes and joint fares between points served by these lines from and to the Yosemite Valley, and joint fares were authorized established through Fresno, Merced and Carl Inn via the highways then constructed, which are impassable during the winter months. Since our decision in this proceeding was rendered the new Briceburg highway from Merced to the valley has been opened for all year travel and the Yosemite Park and Curry Company is now operating over this route on a daily schedule by authority of our Decision No. 17584, November 9, 1926, and Decision No. 17763 of December 14, 1926, Application No. 12800.

xxxxx The purpose of this application is to establish joint fares over the new highway in addition to the fares authorized in Case No. 2212. The proposed fares also provide that during the summer months when the roads through Carl Inn, Fresno and Merced-Wawona are open passengers may have the privilege of going in via one of the four routes and returning via another.

xxxxx At the present time passengers traveling over the Briceburg road are compelled to purchase separate tickets from point of origin to Merced and from Merced into the Valley and vice versa. The testimony indicates there has been considerable demand for through tickets and that the necessity of purchasing separate tickets for the through journey has inconvenienced and placed an undue burden on the public.

xxxxx The Yosemite Valley Railroad, Southern Pacific Company and Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company protested the granting of this application mainly upon the grounds that they had expended large sums of money advertising the Yosemite Valley and that the establishment of this through route and joint fares would tend to decrease the travel via rail which they claim was built up through the expensive advertising campaigns, but the record does not indicate to what extent if any, the establishment of the proposed fares would deplete protestants' revenue. The fact is clear that the joint fares will be a decided advantage to the traveling public.

xxxxx We are of the opinion and find that the application should be granted and applicants be authorized to establish the through routes and the joint fares as set forth in Exhibit 1, as amended.

xxxxx Dated at San Francisco, California, this 1st day of March, 1927.